Comparisons were drawn between the development of television in the 20^th century and the spread of printing in the 15th and 16th centuries. Yet much had happened __47__. As was discussed before, it was not until the 19th century that the newspaper became the dominant pre-electronic medium, following in the wake of the pamphlet and the book and in the __48__ of the periodical. It was during the same time that the communications revolution __49__ up, beginning with transport, the railway, and leading on through the telegraph, the telephone, radio, and motion pictures into the 20th-century world of the motor car and the airplane. Not everyone sees that process in perspective. It is important to do so. It is generally recognized, however, that the __50__ of the computer in the early 20th century, followed by the invention of the integrated circuit during the 1960s, radically changed the process, although its impact on the media was not immediately __51__. As time went by, computers became smaller and more powerful, and they became “personal” too, as well as __52__, with display becoming sharper and storage capacity increasing. It was within the computer age that the term “information society” began to be widely used to describe the __53__ within which we now live. The communications revolution has __54__ both work and leisure and how we think and feel both about place and time, but there have been controversial views about its economic, political, social and cultural implications. “Benefits” have been weighed __55__ “harmful” outcomes. And generalizations have proved difficult.

Never before ________ in greater need of modern public transport than it is today.

1. A.
   has this city been
2. B.
   this city has been
3. C.
   was this city
4. D.
   this city was

Scores of farms across he country are opening up to overnight guests．The best have all the appeal of a first-rate inn（小旅馆） — plus here a moo, there a moo．

Sure, you and your kids have a plan for the theme parks．In the meanwhile, why not make a little hay（干草）? Farm stays are fast becoming the great American alternative to the pre-packaged vacation．

LIBERTY HALL FARM

Rochester, Vt．; 802/767-3926; www．libertyhillfarm．com．Adults $75, teens $50, kids 12 and under $35, including breakfast and dinner; shared baths．

Beth and Bob Kennett run a farm straight out of a storybook．You’ll find Beth in the kitchen, rolling out dough（生面团） for a pie．Bob’s busy with other work．Guests sleep in seven sunny bedrooms right in the farmhouse and can participate in any of the farm jobs．Maybe you and your kids won’t be up at 6 am to meet the milk truck, but you can help with the milking twice a day, collect eggs, and pick sweet corn and wild blackberries in season．

HULL-O FARM

Durham, N．Y．; 518/239-6950; www．hull-o．com; Adults $110, kids 10-14 $60, 5-9 $50, 2-4 $35, under 2 free, including breakfast and dinner; private baths．

It started in 1993 as a way to bring in some extra money at a time of falling milk prices．But soon after Frank and Sherry Hull opened their Catskill Mountains dairy farm to overnight visitors, they discovered they loved it．As you drive up, Sherry greets you on the porch（入口处） of the 1825 farmhouse with a cow-shaped cookie jar．Before long your kids are playing around with the cows, sheep, ducks, goats and getting ready for a hayride．

MERAMEC FARM CABINS

Bourbon, Mo．; 573/732-4765; http://www．wine-mo．com Doubles with private bath $75, $10 per additional person．Trail and riding fees extra．

Climb on the back of the Ford pick up and catch up with the herd．One gentle cow named Cricket will even let the kids sit on her back．At the barn（牲口棚） Carol will introduce you to the horses — 15 Missouri Fox Trotters — and lead you on a ride over the hills and down along the spring-fed Meramec River, where everyone swims．Grab a fishing pole and head back to the river．When you have your fill of the wild, try Carol and Dave’s favorite restaurants, within 20 miles of the farm．

1.The underlined sentence in the first paragraph implies that _____．

2.We can learn from the three ads that ____．

3.The Browns have a 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter．If they stay on Liberty Hill Farm for one night, how much will they pay?

4.Who will be most likely interested in the webpage?

   C

Thousands of people living in the Chinese eapital will celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year by heading for the ski resorts(滑雪场).Never mind that Beijing’s dry weather seldom produces

Now. It is cold enough in winter for snow-making machines to make a covering for the hills north to

The capital. And the rapid growth of a pleasure-seeking middle class has formed the basis for this

New craze(热潮).

Since Beijing’s first ski resort was opened ten years ago, the sport has enjoyed an astonishing increase.There are now more than a dozen resorts. Clothes markets in the city have added bright colored ski suits to their winter collections. Mr.Wei, a manager of a newly-opened ski resort in Beijing, sees the growth of an industry that could soon lead Chinese to head for the ski resorts of Europe. In recent years ski resorts offering natural snow have opened in China. But many are in faraway areas of the country and can’t really match the equipment and services of some ski resorts

In Europe.

Beijing’s sking craze is partly a result of the recent increase in private(私有的)cars. This has led to the growth of a leisure industry in the capital’s suburbs(郊区).which until the late-1990s were unreachable to ordinary people. According to Mr. Wei,About 40％ of the visitors to his resort some in their own cars. The rest are bused in by schools, businesses or government offices.

The problem is making money.Starting ski resorturequires quite a lot of money:hiring land from the local government,preparing the hills,buying snow machines,making sure there are enough

water and electricity to run them,and buying ski equipment for hiring out to customers.The ski resort where Mr.Wei works cost nearly $4m to set up.And,as so often in China when someone comes up with a good idea,many others rush in and price wars break out.Beijing now offers some of

the cheapest ski training classes in the world,though with most people rather new to the sport, expecting a few more doing the same job.

50.What does this text mainly talk about?

A．Convenience for skiers brought about by private cars

B．Skiing as a new way of enjoying one’s spare time

C．Things to be considered when starting a ski resort

D．A sudden increase of ski training classes in Beijing

51.Why are some Chinese likely to go skiing in Burope?

A．To visit more ski areas

B．To ski on natrual snow

C．For a large collection of ski suits

D．For better services and equipment

52.The underlined words”leisure industry”in Paragraph 3 refer to        

A．transport to ski resorts

B．production of familycars

C．business of providing spare time enjoyments

D．part-time work for people living in the suburbs

53.What is the main problem in running a ski resort?

A．Difficulty in hiring land

B．Lack of business experience

C．……ski resorts.

D．Shortage of water and electricity